


Something to Live For part 7

by Phsbarbie



Series: Something to Live For [7]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-13 05:16:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1214077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phsbarbie/pseuds/Phsbarbie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard tries to convince Joker to stay aboard the Normandy</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something to Live For part 7

    I tilt my head back and smile at Shepard, who is standing behind the couch with her arms folded and a rather irritated look on her face.

  
    "Hey Sweetie, how'd the meeting go?" She cocks an eyebrow.

  
    "Sweetie? Really?" I shrug. 

  
    "It was worth a shot. So, are you on the Council?" She rolls her eyes and starts her slow and deliberate walk towards the bar. I can see Joker watching her every step. I guess it's a hard adjustment for everybody, watching this woman who has always seemed unstoppable struggle to walk. I don't care. I'm just proud she keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

  
    "Did everybody know I was going to be asked to be on the Council?"

  
    "Come on, Commander," says Joker. "It was a no brainer."

  
    "I see you're in a better mood, Joker."

  
    "What can I say? Your boy-toy has been plying me with alcohol. I'm happier when I'm drunk." I walk over to Shepard and put my hands on either side of her on the bar, hoping she'll take the bait and lean back into me. She does, so she can't be that mad.

  
    "Don't think this gets you out of anything. Mind telling me why Hackett made it his personal mission to keep me in that hover chair?" Damn, I spoke too soon. Or thought too soon. You get the idea.

  
    "Look at it this way, if you had kept your promise to stay in that chair you would never have known about my deal with Hackett." Her glare changes into a begrudging smile.

  
    "Except for the missing bottle of brandy." I kiss her cheek.

  
    "Why don't you go sit down while I continue to play bartender?" Her smile turns into a real one and she makes her way carefully to the couch. That plus the walking she did earlier added to this morning's PT is testing the limits of what she's capable of, but I don't say anything. I just love to see her happy. It's a lesson my dad taught me when I was younger; when in doubt, make her smile.

  
    The thought of my dad brings a wave of sadness. He still hasn't been located; it's basically a given that he didn't make it. I did manage to get a message through to my mom though. I told her I'm safe and staying on the Citadel, so not to worry. I fix Shepard an Appletini(I laughed so hard the first time she ordered a girly drink) and bring it to her on the couch before settling into an armchair.

  
    "So, what's the verdict? Councilor or no?" I ask, though I'm already fairly sure of the answer. She takes a sip of her drink while shaking her head no.

  
    "No, I declined the position. After the war we just had I am all done playing politics for a while. They did, however, ask me to continue in my roll as Spectre, which I gladly accepted. I still have a few months, of course, before I'll be ready for-"

  
    "Months?" I cut her off incredulously. "Chakwas said at least a year and a half before you're combat ready. I'm guessing you can whittle that down to a year, but-"

  
    "Six months," she says, cutting me off this time. "I'll be ready in six months." She turns to Joker. "So, inform the crew if they plan to stay aboard we'll be flying Council colors alongside the Alliance ones. They have six months of shore leave, which would probably be best spend rebuilding. Speaking of which, Tali probably won't be rejoining us, but I don't know that Garrus will be able to stand staying on Rannoch without any action." Joker rubs his face and sighs.

  
    "I was hoping you'd take the position on the Council and I wouldn't have to do this, but I guess I do." He stands and salutes Shepard. "I came here, Commander, to offer my resignation as the pilot of the Normandy." The expression on Shepard's face doesn't change, she simply takes another sip of her drink and sets it on the floor.

  
    "I reject your offer, Flight Lieutenant. And sit down, you're so drunk your salute is wiggling." Joker sits back down with a sigh.

  
    "I really should have known it wouldn't be that easy."

  
    "You really should have," agrees Shepard. "Look, Joker, don't make this decision right now. I know you hate me-"

  
    "I don't hate you Shepard. I mean, I did, for a little bit, but I know you. I've served with you since the day you took command. I know that if you could have saved EDI with your values intact, you would have."

  
    "Then why are you resigning?" she asks. I'm pretty sure they've forgotten I'm in the room at this point.

  
    "I can't return to the Normandy now that EDI's gone. I can't face all those memories, and I can't even imagine flying it without her assistance."

  
    "You got us all back here to the Citadel just fine," I chime in.

  
    "Well, yeah, I wasn't going to kill the entire crew just because I was depressed."

  
    "Joker-"

  
    "Shepard, you're not allowed to decline my resignation and you know it." Shepard closes her eyes and sighs. When she opens them again a bit of the fight has gone out of them. 

  
    "You're right, I'm not. I'll take it, but I'm going to wait five months and three weeks to report it. That will leave me one week to find a new pilot." Joker freezes.

  
    "A new pilot?"

  
    "Yes, Joker. The Normandy is the most advanced ship in the galaxy, she's not going to be decommissioned. If I can't get you back in that pilot's chair I'm going to have to find someone else to fill it." I can tell by the look on Joker's face he hasn't thought that far ahead. Not that I blame him. It would be like picturing another man in Shepard's bed: rage inducing. 

  
    "Please, take the shore leave and really think about this decision. I'll keep you on the payroll till then." He nods and stands up to go. "Wait, Joker, do you have a place to stay? You can have the downstairs bedroom, stay here..." He shakes his head and gives a bitter laugh.

  
    "When are you going to learn that you can't save everyone, Shepard?" He turns and leaves the apartment. Shepard looks after him with a sad smile on her face.

  
    "Trust me Jeff, that's one lesson I've learned well."

 

 

    Kaidan sets the locks on the door behind Joker before coming back and dropping to his knees in front of me, putting us at eye level. He takes my face in his hands and kisses me gently.

  
    "You know and I know that you have always done everything in your power to save every person you can."

  
    "Do I know that Kaidan? I could have chosen Synthesis. I could have sacrificed myself-"

  
    "And turned everyone in the galaxy into a Reaper hybrid? Angel, you made the right choice. Don't start doubting yourself now." I look into his eyes and smile. My strength. My soft place to land.

  
    "I love you," I say, and kiss him. He gives me his classic Kaidan smile.

  
    "I love you too. So, since you obviously didn't stay in your hover chair you don't get to reap the 'benefits of my happiness,' but I'm willing to let you make it up to me," he says in his bedroom voice, slipping a strand of hair behind my ear.

  
    "Are you really? That's very generous of you."

  
    "What can I say? I'm a generous guy. Are you ready to be carried upstairs?" 

  
    "Not yet. Since it's obvious Joker won't be taking care of any messages for me I need to get Traynor on the comm and tell her to meet me here tomorrow." Kaidan groans and drops his head in my lap.

  
    "Please don't tell me this means we have to stop pretending to be normal. I haven't had enough of it yet." I smile down at the back of his head.

  
    "Kaidan, are you sulking again?"

  
    "No," says his muffled voice. "This time I'm pouting. Completely different thing." I laugh at him.

  
    "We can still spend most of our time pretending to be normal, but we're going to need to spend some of it returning to our  _actual_  normal, Sweetie." He lifts his head and gives me a seductive smile.

  
    "You know, I like how that sounds coming from your mouth. Perhaps you'll get the 'benefits' tonight after all." I try not to laugh.

  
    "Now that sounds like a wonderful plan. Let me make this call and then I'm all yours." I bring up my Omnitool and connect to Traynor.

  
    "Shepard? Is that you? I'm so glad to hear from you!" She sounds like she's going to want to talk. I shrug at Kaidan and give him an apologetic smile, but before I can say a word he jumps in.

  
    "Nope, it's Alenko."

  
    "Oh, hey Kaidan. What can I do for you?"

  
    "Shepard needs to see you here at our apartment tomorrow morning at 10 am. Something about needing to get the crew organized."

  
    "Right, thank you Major. I'll see her then." He disconnects the call and swings me up in his arms.

  
    "There, call made, now you're all mine," he says, climbing up the stairs. 

  
    "Why 10 o'clock? That seems a bit late." He lays me down on the bed and proceeds to undo buttons on the blouse of my blues, sliding it off when they're all open.

  
    "Well, since I plan to keep you up until at least 3 am, I figured you'd need at least a little sleep before your meeting." He traces the edge of my bra with his tongue.

  
    "Smart man," I gasp. He gives me a wicked grin.

  
    "Thanks, I thought so too."


End file.
